Staying device for road guards



July 28, 1936. E. v. CAMP 2,049,352

STAYING DEVICE FOR ROAD GUARDS Filed Jan. 14, 1953 INVENTOR Jaye/ e BY ATTORNEYS Patented July 28, 1936 STAES PATENT QFFICE 1 Claim.

The invention relates to a novel staying device for road guards, adapted to be applied to the posts or supports of the guard to oppose displacement of the posts due to stresses applied to the impact member or members and to assist in maintaining the integrity of the guard as a whole, when the latter is struck by a moving vehicle, to which ends said device includes a strip of metal fashioned into a relatively long loop, one end of which is engaged with anchoring means to be buried in the earth, the other end being formed by the overlapped terminals of the strip, bent to engage one face of a bearing block, the bend and the block being perforated to receive a tie rod or stay bolt or like member by means of which the device is connected to a post or support of the road guard.

' The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which:-

Fig. 1 is a front elevation showing the staying device associated with a terminal post of a road guard.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of a sheet metal anchor.

Fig. .3 is a section on line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

Figs. 4 and 5 are details illustrating the mode of forming the upper portion of the loop.

Figs. 6 and '7 are detail views of the bearing block.

Figs. 8 and 9 are detail views of a modified anchoring means.

Figs. 10 and 11 are similar views showing another modification of the anchoring means.

Fig. 12 shows still another form of anchoring means.

Referring to Figs. 1 to '7 of the drawing, l indicates the terminal post of a road guard, which latter may be of any approved form and which is indicated as of the type including resilient strip impact members secured under tension to the post I by adjustable connecting means 2. Owing to the initial tension applied to the impact members of such road guards and also to the stresses imposed on the guard as a whole, when struck by a vehicle, it is essential that the terminal posts, such as I, and in some cases, certain of the intermediate posts, be properly guyed or stayed and, as stated, it is the purpose of this invention to provide a relatively simple, easily constructed and efficient staying device that may be applied with a relatively small expenditure of time and labor and without the use of special tools.

As indicated in Fig. 1, the body portion Ill of the staying device consists of a strip of metal, preferably galvanized or otherwise treated to render the same resistant to corrosion, which strip is fashioned into an elongated loop, the ends of the strip being overlapped, bent into substantially semi-cylindrical form and connected together by spot welds II, or other suitable means, the double ply of metal at the bend compensating for the weakening of the body of the strip by the perforation I2 through which the means for securing the body ID to the posts passes. Seated on the inner curved surface of the upper end of the member ID is a bearing block 8, which is preferably semi-cylindrical and is provided with a hole 9 registering with the hole l2 in the bend of the loop member Ill.

The means for securing the loop member It to the post is preferably in the form of a stay bolt or tie rod 3 provided with screw threaded ends 4 and 6, which latter are engaged by nuts 5 and 1, respectively, the threads 6 being extended for a considerable part of the length of the rod 3 to permit a fairly wide range of adjustment between the tie rod 3 and the loop member H), such adjustment being effected by means of the nut 1, which engages the fiat face of the bearing block 8.

The lower end of the loop 8 is adapted to be buried in the ground and to be secured to an anchoring means, which, in the form of the invention illustrated in Figs. 1 to 3, comprises a sheet metal plate [5, generally quadrilateral in form, having two diagonally opposite corner sections curved to engage the bends of the lower ends of the loop Ill, said plate having clips l6 secured thereto, as indicated in Fig. 2, to lock the anchor to the lower end of the loop.

As thus constructed, the staying device is applied in the manner and form illustrated in Fig. 1, with the threaded end 4 of the stay bolt or tie rod 3 passed through an opening in the post I and locked in position by the nut 5. The lower portion of the loop [0, with the anchor l5 secured thereto, is buried in the ground adjacent the post, after which the nut I may be set up to apply the necessary tension to the device to oppose displacement of the post 1, due to the tension applied to the impact member or members, or to the stresses applied to the guard by vehicles striking the impact member. Although the staying device is shown as applied to a terminal post of a road guard, it will be understood that devices of the same character and construction may also be applied, whenever found necessary, to any of the intermediate posts in the road guard structure.

In lieu of the particular form of anchor shown in Figs. 2 and 3, that illustrated in Figsdl and 9' may be employed, in which the anchor comprises a plate of sheet metal I 5' provided with openings l6, through which the sheet metal band constituting the loop in is threaded, and a pin I! passed between the lower bend of the loop and the lower face of the anchor Hi. This arrangement of anchor admits of the loopbeing formed withsubstantially parallel side members.

As indicated in Figs. 10 and 11, the anchor may comprise a block of stone, concrete, Wood or the like 29 provided with perforations to permit the threading of the two ends of the loop I!) therethrough and having a cross pin 2| applied in the same relation as the pin I! in thepreceding modification. A further alternative and a somewhat simpler and less expensive anchoring means may 7 take the form as shown in Fig. 12, namely, a log EUGENE V. CAMP. 15 

